Paige Dyson Chronicles 4 Guardian Girl
by NavyWriterChic
Summary: Paige Dyson is on the verge of deletion at the hands of the surfer rouges. Can Bob and the rest others find a way to rescue her shattered code and save Mainframe as it is under siege by Megabyte and the Shadow Riders?
1. Chapter 1

****_This is story #5 of the Paige Dyson Chronicles "Guardian Girl." _

_To those who came in late, Paige Dyson was abducted by surfer rogues in order to reprogram her. After a failed rescue attempt, Paige is on the verge of deletion...and Bob refuses to leave her side...and Megabyte is going take full advantage of the situation._

* * *

><p><strong>ReBoot—The Paige Dyson series<strong>

Guardian Girl

**Ep. 05.01.04**

_**Mainframe**_

Mainframe was quiet as a game cube left the system, allowing Matrix, AndrAIa and Enzo to leave. They were excited, well, Enzo more of all that they had beaten another User.

AndrAIa looked Matrix who was staring off into the bright sky around Mainframe. "What's the matter lover?" she asked him.

Matrix was silent as he stared out into space.

Enzo was about to stare with them, when a VidWindow opened to reveal his sister Dot in the Principle Office.

"How was the game little brother?" she asked.

"Hey sis," Enzo answered. "We totally clobbered the User. AndrAIa had this wicked cool fighting move and then Matrix used his special fire breath and…"

"Enzo," AndrAIa said. "Everything went fine Dot."

"What's up with Matrix?" Dot asked. "Is he…?"

"Staring off into space?" she answered. "Oh yeah. I think he's worried about Bob and the others. Any word from the Supercomputer on when they're planning on coming back?'

"Nothing yet," Dot replied, her shoulders drooping. "I hate to say this, but I'm worried about all of them too."

"They'll come home soon," AndrAIa tried to reassure them and looked back to Matrix. "They have to come home soon," she whispered as she stared at him.

But Matrix continued to look toward the sky, oblivious to anything around him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Supercomputer: <strong>__**Guardian Academy**_

Ray Tracer sat patiently at the stinging sensation through his arm. The encoding tube that stretched from his bicep snaked along the floor toward the computer where Mouse was currently punching keys on the control board.

"Just a few more microns," she said, staring at the screen of Ray's codes. "How are you doing there lover?" she asked him.

"About as well as a bloke with a null attached to his arm can be," he replied. "Are you sure that this is going to work?"

"It's only an idea," she answered. "Grip onto something, because here comes the final push."

Ray lurched up in the reclining chair, hollering at the pain of his codes being sucked out one final time.

She shut down the machine once she had enough of the surfer encoding, raced over to Ray, and disconnected the cuff around his arm. "I told you to grab onto something."

Ray reached up for a quick kiss; she assumed he was obviously faking the pain that he was in.

But Mouse still enjoyed the lip-lock and only returned it back to him.

* * *

><p>The doors to Texiera's lab as Prime Guardian Turbo entered to see if the hacker Mouse had successfully copied Ray Tracer's surfer code.<p>

But what he found was the hacker and web surfer in a tight situation.

Turbo coughed a second and got their attention. "I was just checking to see if you were done yet Mouse," he asked.

Mouse went back to the console and pulled out the data disc. "Right here sugah," she replied. "I just hope that my idea works. Paige can't be frozen between upgrades for too long or she'll be deleted."

"The User has been sending in games so much lately that I don't think that they notice Paige's delicate condition," Turbo told them. "Let's go tell Bob that we're ready."

He left and Mouse and Ray were right behind him.

* * *

><p>Guardian Bob sat alongside the shutdown body of Paige Dyson; holding her multi-colored hand in his. Glitch's keytool cords were wrapped around her wrist monitoring her heart rate and giving her spurts of energy to keep her body alive.<p>

He hadn't slept in seconds, but he didn't want to be resting and find out Paige had been deleted.

Bob would never be able to forgive himself.

The doors to the infirmary opened, but he knew that it would be Turbo hopefully with Mouse and Ray Tracer who had gone to try something.

"Any change?" Turbo asked.

"No," he replied. "Turbo, she's cold as ice. Glitch and I have been giving her energy, but she still won't respond to me."

"We may have a way to bring her back online," his former mentor told him. "Mouse is ready with the surfer codes to at least restore Paige that far. The rest of the code should be able to repair itself after that is returned to her."

"Let's do it then," Bob replied and hooked up the cuff to her arm. He then leaned down toward Paige's ear. "You stay with me, you hear," he whispered. "I can't lose you again."

He walked over to Mouse who inserted the code disc into the computer. "Are you sure that this will work?"

"No guarantees love," she replied, "but I'm going to do my best. Here goes nothing…" and she pressed the load button.

Ray Tracer's codes began to flow through the tube and toward Paige on the table.

The three of them watched Paige's code begin to heal itself on a separate screen. Her surfer encoding was returning to normal; merging the surfer blue code with her regular pink code.

"It's working," Bob said. "It's working," he shouted and lifted Mouse off the floor with joy.

The computer suddenly sparked loudly at the overload of coding going into Paige.

"Shut it down," Ray said as he was looking to Paige who was trying to restart, but was now in the same pain that she was when the overload had taken place a couple seconds ago. He got the cuff off her arm.

Mouse was able to shut down the operation. "Running a scan," she said.

Paige's body was scanned on the table and showed everything on the screen and saw that Paige had absorbed some of the surfer code, but there were still large gaps of nothing or Akron's programming that still remained.

"I'm sorry sugah," she said. "I tried."

"No Mouse," Bob said, mournful. "You tried. That's all that mattered." He then returned to his vigil at her bedside and continued to monitor Paige.

Mouse and Ray left the infirmary and met Turbo in the hall passage.

"Any change?" the caring uncle asked.

"She began to absorb some of the surfer code until Akron's programming suddenly kicked in and overloaded the computer," Mouse explained. "She got some it and is holding steady, but there is no telling how much longer that will keep her alive."

The trio was silent.

"Prime Guardian Turbo," Texiera arrived to talk with them. "There may be one last hope."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Most sprites keep a downloaded file in their home system as a backup of their codes in case anything happens to go wrong," she suggested. "If we could get it, we could simply restart her from the last backup copy that she has of herself."

"But that could result her to being a guardian before she rebelled," Ray added in. "Maybe even younger. It all depends on how well she's been making a backup copy of herself."

It was silent until Turbo finally said, "I don't think we have much of a choice. If we must deal with a younger, more rebellious Paige, then we must accept this consequence. Anything to restore her again."

"Surfer," Texiera said, "do you think that you could fly to her home system and retrieve the data disc."

"I don't even know where she is from," Ray replied.

"I do," Mouse said. "We'll go to the Paradiso System and retrieve it. We'll be back within the second. Let's go Ray."

And the two of them left the guardians.

* * *

><p>"I have a better idea," Turbo told Texiera. "Stay with Bob."<p>

"Where are you going Prime Guardian, if I may be so bold?" she asked.

"To call in a favor to an old friend," he replied and continued walking.

In his private office, Prime Guardian Turbo sat at his desk in full guardian attire and opened a VidWindow. "Copeland, call this number," he ordered of his keytool.

The static vanished to reveal a zero binome secretary at her desk. "Thank you for calling Maximillion Machinery & Functions," the zero greeted him with her nasal tone. "How may I direct your call?"

"Maximillion Dyson, please," Turbo requested.

"I'm sorry sir, CEO Dyson is just not available to take random Vidcalls," she told him. "I can direct you to any of his partners who would be…"

"I need to speak to Maximillion Dyson at once on behalf of the Supercomputer Guardian Academy on urgent matters," Turbo interrupted the secretary.

"I repeat sir," she said, "Mr. Dyson is not available to take random Vidcalls. I will direct you to any of his partners who would be…"

"Tell him it concerns his daughter Paige," Turbo ordered.

The screen fuzzed out and darkness appeared. In the piercing darkness, two red silts stared at him from the office, but his extravagant long white hair flanked his navy robes. "Prime Guardian Turbo," the man said.

"Maximillion Dyson," Turbo replied. "We need to talk."

"Calling in that favor I see," Maximillion replied. "How did you make it through to my number?"

"I'm not calling in my favor, but I will make it my favor if you don't help me save your daughter," he said.

"Paige? What is wrong with her?"

"She's in trouble. Trouble beyond your wildest imagination."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Comorian Supercomputer Sector<strong>_

Binomes loaded materials and supplies from the Maximillion skyscraper into the awaiting ship that was being prepared for launch to the Supercomputer.

Once all the security officers created a path from the skyport elevator to the shuttle, the doors opened to reveal the man known as Maximillion Dyson standing there.

His darkened features were hidden behind his mask and white hair. His dark gray cape, protecting him from the constant rain of the Comorian system glided behind him to shield his blue and black uniform.

He walked passed with cane in one hand and large silver case in the other and entered the shuttle.

"Let us go pilot," Dyson replied. "Supercomputer as fast as you can."

"We'll be going VIA the T-1 line sir," the pilot said. "We'll be there before anyone will notice that we are gone."

Dyson rested the case on his lap in his throne like chair. "Don't worry my darling," he mumbled to the case, stroking it with a gloved hand. "In here, will be your new life, in service to my greatest project ever." He opened the case to stare at the unearthly pink and teal glow that came from it.

His shuttle took off and entered the Net to their destination: the Supercomputer of the Guardians.

* * *

><p><em>Wonder how Maximillion Dyson is going to save Paige? You are going to have to read, review, and see.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_**Mainframe**_

G-Prime was bustling with activity as viral binomes were working on a special project of their master Megabyte who was watching them.

Megabyte sat in his throne, watching as his troops and scientists were constructing a cage that would soon house his new tenants. "Herr Dockor," he called.

"Oh mine grossenbiter," Herr Dockor answered his master's call. "All is in readiness for the prisoners and in parameters of what you have requested."

"Excellent," the virus replied. "Now all I need is the User to drop a game and all of the command staff of the Principle Office will be helpless. Then I will take control of Megaframe and my Viral Dawn shall begin."

"Not so fast," a voice called out to him.

He looked to see Damien Triad behind him, standing with the rest of the Shadow Riders.

"No one is going to be doing anything until we get our final payment," Triad said.

"Ah the Shadow Riders," Megabyte said. "Equally opportunistic as I once was when I was your age. The rest of the currency shall be delivered to you once you do one more small task for me. You will be doubly compensated for both chores I assure you."

The five Shadow Riders drew their large staffs that had sparkling power boosters on them.

His viral troops were also prepared to fire on the riders if they attempted anything.

"I won't go on my word, I tell you," he told them. "When the next game lands, take hostage the Command-dot-Com of this system, her annoying childish brother Enzo, and Phong, then take Matrix and AndrAIa once they exit the game and your services to me will be complete."

"And why should we?" Helicon ordered an answer from him.

"Since you cannot prove to me that Paige Dyson was indeed deleted," Megabyte insisted, pounding his hand on the console, "this small errand will make up for not showing me her destruction."

Triad was upset, but they lowered their staff weapons. "So, how often to you get games around here?" he asked.

Megabyte smiled with content.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Mainframe<strong>_

"Warning, Incoming Game," the announcement came overhead. "Warning, Incoming Game."

AndrAIa was searching for Matrix and found him out on one of the walkout ledges into Mainframe. He was playing with Gun without a care in the world.

"Uh lover," she called and glided over to him. "It's time for some fun."

"I don't feel like going," he replied. "It's going to be another tournament style game. It's seems to be the fad that the User is on lately."

"Come on Matrix," AndrAIa said. "You either come with me or you get to do maintenance duty that Phong is trying to pass on to someone else."

"Marvelous," he groaned and got on his zipboard to leave with her.

They entered the game cube near Level One just before it landed.

The game was just as Matrix said it would be; another tournament style fighting game. Worst off, it was one that they had played during the time they were lost in the games.

"So what, you were right again lover," AndrAIa said. "All we have to do is make our way to the User and we'll be out of here. Then you and I are going to head away for some rest and relaxation."

Matrix came close to her body, sending his hand through her aqua hair. "You mean it?"

"Promise."

They shared a brief kiss before rebooting.

* * *

><p><em>Principle Office<em>

Dot Matrix was finished with her work and then looked to the screen to see the game cube, spiked high into the sky of Mainframe. It sparkled and now it was the long wait until her older brother and AndrAIa emerged safely.

Phong entered the command chamber and stood by her.

"Your mind is uneasy child," he said to her. "Feel like sharing?"

"It's just, I'm worried," Dot answered.

"About Matrix and AndrAIa?"

"No. Bob, Mouse, and Ray," she replied.

"And Paige?" Phong asked.

"Well yes, her too," she stated. "She needs to be rescued so she can go back to the Web and join up with the Knight Surfers. They'll be constantly around until they do come back."

"Commander Matrix," Specky called for her. "I have the Knight Surfers asking for conference."

"Speaking of them," Dot said. "Put them on the main screen."

On the screen, the golden skinned with navy blue hair girl of Lana Vesper appeared and stared at all that were in the command center.

"Hello Commander Matrix," the young surfer greeted them.

"Interesting that you are calling us Ms. Vesper," Dot greeted her. "What can we do for you?"

"We're looking for Bob," she said. "Paige was supposed to check in with us and she hasn't returned to her apartment in a couple of cycles. Any idea where I can find the two of them?"

"They journeyed to the Supercomputer and we haven't heard from them in as long as you have," Dot said. "Anything that would concern any of us?"

"Actually yes," Lana replied. "We found out from a source that Megabyte contracted the Shadow Riders for a job recently; what it was we have no idea, but Grendar is pushing the source for more."

"When Matrix and AndrAIa come out of the game," Dot told her, "we'll go after Megabyte and see if we can find your Shadow Riders for you."

"Be careful commander," she warned. "The Shadow Riders can be really crafty when the money is good."

The command center was shaken by a powerful blast that rocked the Principle Office.

"What in the Net was that?" Dot shouted. "Get me a visual."

Outside the main Principle Office doors, the five surfers who she assumed were the Shadow Riders were outside; blasting with their staff-like weapons.

"Lana," she called onto the screen. "They're here. How fast can you get to Mainframe?" The Principle Office was rocked again as shrapnel fell from the ceiling.

"We're in a system on the other side of the Net," Lana told them. "We can be there in sixty nanos."

"Make it quick!" she shouted and then the communications were terminated.

* * *

><p>Helicon was at the outside control junction and disconnected a few wires inside the box. "It's amazing when you don't pay your VidWindow bill what can happen?" he said.<p>

Damien Triad was watching as brothers Crix and Crayis Garneau and Max Vector were almost blasted through the main door to the Mainframe Principle Office.

"Keep it up boys," he ordered. "The lovely Ms. Matrix has an appointment to keep and we don't need to be keeping her host waiting."

The five of them blasted at the same time and took out the doors.

Dot was scared when she saw the doors blast open.

"Patch me through to the Supercomputer," she told Specky. "We need help."

* * *

><p><em>Remember to review<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_**Supercomputer**_

Bob was still sitting at Paige's side, still without a change in her current condition. Her body was beginning to fade with her loss in energy, even though he was giving her energy to sustain her.

He took his hand and smoothed it at the edge of her pink-white hair.

"You have to hold on just a little longer Paige," he said to her. "Mouse and Ray are going to be back with your back-up file and you're going to be back online. I always did like the younger girls anyway," he added with a chuckle.

A VidWindow opened up and there was Dot on the screen. He quickly dropped her hand from his to speak to Dot. "What's wrong Dot?" he asked.

"We're under attack by the Shadow Riders, Bob," she exclaimed. "Matrix and AndrAIa are in the game and they already have Enzo from outside. We need you come back."

"I can't," he replied. "Something happened here and I can't leave."

"You have to Bob!"

The doors in the background were blown open and the black cloaked figures entered.

"Surprise," one of them shouted and the communication was cut.

"Dot," Bob shouted. "Dot, can you hear me? Dot?"

There was no answer.

Turbo entered the lab. "I just received a message from Mouse and Ray Tracer. They arrived at the abandoned Knight fortress in Paradiso…what's wrong."

"The Shadow Riders that your elite unit chased are in Mainframe," he told his mentor. "They just invaded the Principle Office."

"Then you should go back," Turbo said. "I'll keep the energy flowing until Mouse and Ray return with our miracle for Paige. You need to make sure that Mainframe is secured and protected."

Bob didn't want to leave Paige, but knew that Megabyte had to be connected to the Shadow Riders being in Mainframe. "OK," he replied. "Just keep her online as long as you can."

"She's my niece," Turbo told him. "I wouldn't dream of off-lining her unless she couldn't be repaired. Just go and I will update you as needed."

Bob raced out of the infirmary to leave.

* * *

><p>Turbo stared into the darkness in the far corner of the room. "He still loves Paige," he told the darkness.<p>

The red eye slit was uncovered and the man known as Maximillion Dyson walked out of the darkness into the light that shined over Paige's body.

Dyson's long white hair cascaded down his dark gray cape and in front of his black uniform. His face was covered in a silver mask with the red slits that glowed in the darkness, but his mouth could be seen through the carvings and screens.

"I can see that he still loves my daughter," Maximillion replied. "That is why I not only need to restore her for me, but for Guardian Serrano's well-being as well." His taloned gloves stroked the case in his arms. "But this little bobble is going to make Paige so much more than a typical web-surfer."

"What are you going to do to her?" Turbo asked.

Dyson opened the case, revealing the pink and teal light from within. "I'm going to turn her into a guardian as well," the father replied, "and you won't believe how I am going to do it."

Turbo's keytool Copeland was speaking to the glow. The teal colors spun in the pink glow, communicating with his keytool. "A keytool," he said. Copeland then translated what he was speaking to the other keytool.

"It can't be," the Prime Guardian said after Copeland had told him. "Is that…?"

"She's back," Maximillion told him. "Welcome back Dixon Alexa Green to the fold."

The work began with the sprites and binomes that were there to help bring Paige back online without having to restart her entire program.

Her entire code was repaired and supercharged; transforming from green and purple to a solid glowing pink. A new uniform was created and the keytool form of the former guardian Dixon was calibrated to merge with Paige's code.

Turbo watched everyone work on his niece and bring her back.

He only hoped that they were successful before it was too late.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Mainframe<strong>_

"Game over," it was announced over the system and the game cube pulled into the sky and vanished.

Matrix and AndrAIa headed for the Principle Office to debrief, but were shocked to see the front doors blasted opened. The path of destruction only continued toward the command chamber.

Matrix dashed inside, hearing AndrAIa call his name as he left her behind.

He didn't care though. His sister was in this chamber and he had to make sure that she was safe.

AndrAIa was in shock as she entered the chamber. "Who did this?" she said. "How did they get in here and take it all out?"

"Specky" was looking for Dot, but didn't find her in her office or amongst the debris and shut-down binomes who worked there. "She's not here," he said.

"May-be she got out through one of the emergency exits?" AndrAIa suggested.

"Or may-be she's attending a party in her honor," a voice spoke from the command center screen.

The man, a surfer in a dark gray cloak, pulled back his hood to unveil his black with red tip spikes. "You two may not know me. Damien Triad at your service," he introduced himself. "Do you like the way that I redecorated your command center?"

"Where's my sister?" Matrix said. "You better not have harmed her or I promise you…"

"Ah, the older Enzo Matrix," Megabyte appeared from behind Triad. "Always to business before small talk; so predictable of you. Your sister is perfectly well, but that could change drastically unless you surrender to me."

"How do we know that you are not bluffing?" AndrAIa said.

The image was shifted to a small cage where Dot was pounding on the walls, Phong was examining the prison, and young Enzo was instructing Friskit to find a weak spot. Hack and Slash were trying to use weapons to blast the cage, but the shots ricocheted, sending everyone to the ground.

"If you want to save everyone," Triad told him, "come to Megabyte's fortress and we'll discuss all your surrenders." He laughed as the VidWindow fuzzed out.

Matrix blasted it with Gun in frustration. It shattered into thousands of bytes.

"Enzo," AndrAIa said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to get them back. All we need is a plan."

"That was Dot's department," he replied. "I don't know what to do now."

AndrAIa rested her head on his chest and he held her.

From a portal, Bob emerged into the command office.

"Bob," Matrix said. "You're back. Where's Mouse? Ray?"

"…and Paige?" AndrAIa added. "We could so use her and her powers against the Shadow Riders."

"Something happened in the Supercomputer," he replied, "but we'll talk about that later. Did they take everyone?"

"They sure did," AndrAIa replied, "and they want us to surrender to Megabyte in order to get them back."

"Then lets do just that," he suggested. "Only we're going to play our way."

"I like the way you talk Bob," Matrix said with a smile on his face. "Let's do it."

The three of them rushed out.

* * *

><p><strong>Silicon Battle Tor<strong>

Dot still tried to look for a way out of the crystal structure that surrounded her friends and family. She tried pushing, but the glass wouldn't budge.

Friskit went sniffing by her. "Go on boy," she encouraged. "Find the weak spot."

He sniffed and found one, but as he went to charge at it, he was shocked the edging.

"Now now," Megabyte's voice said as he came to be face to face with her. "We don't want to be wrecking other spouses' property now, do we?"

"I'm not your spouse," she shouted, "so you can quit referring me as that."

He chuckled. "I beg to differ. Just because you don't have a ring anymore doesn't mean that I don't consider you mine. I mean look: you're in my house, inside the cage that I built especially for you…"

"Driving me toward a divorce," Dot chimed in.

The virus growled.

"You may think that I am still yours," she replied, "but just remember, the one I really care for is out there and he's going to come here with more firepower than even you will be able to comprehend."

"Talking about me?" Matrix's voice said. "I may not be the one you love, but I still fit all the other categories." He stood at the top of the stairs; arms on his hips in defiance.

Dot smiled.

Megabyte was about to attack him, when he was suddenly knocked aside by a power beam.

"I don't think so Megabyte," Bob's voice also said as he appeared from opposite the renegade. "You've had your fun."

"You may have so Guardian," Megabyte said as he got back to his feet. "But guess what time it is for now?"

"What?" Matrix asked with his gun pointed outward.

"Our fun," a voice said.

Suddenly from the ceiling, the Shadow Riders swooped down and overtook those that were not on Megabyte's side.

Dot watched in horror as Triad grabbed AndrAIa before she could get to the cage to free them.

Damien Triad carried the game sprite in his arms, as though the rescuing hero was saving her.

"Put me down," the attractive female asked, her long nails extending as her weapon.

"With pleasure beautiful," he granted her request. He stole a kiss from her then dropped her.

"AndrAIa!" Matrix shouted, watching her fall. "No!"

Three of the Riders were able to take him down.

He watched as AndrAIa fell, but into the cage where the rest of them were. She landed smoothly on her feet, but fell to her side under the pressure.

He was then grabbed, a door opening on the side of the cage, and he was tossed in with the rest of his family. Matrix was more concerned with AndrAIa right now. "You OK?"

"Think so," she said, trying to stand, but couldn't. "I think I broke my ankle."

Megabyte's laughter could be heard as he stared at them within his cage. "I almost have the whole collection," he said, stroking his talons down the side. The sound was excruciating to those inside.

"You will not get away with virus," Phong told him from the other side of the crystal wall.

"I think I already have," he replied. "Now all I need is the rarest figure of them all."

"Would that be me?" Bob's voice said and he took Megabyte down with a spear to the back.

The virus and guardian tossed and toppled on the floor; trying to subdue and defeat the other. Fists and blows were exchanged to different areas of their bodies.

As Bob went to use his keytool, "Glitch, null…" Megabyte grabbed his fist and crushed it under the pressure.

"I don't think so Guardian," he sneered. "I fell for that little trick when Miss Green attempted to subdue me. Now at last, my collection will be complete."

Bob was lifted in to the air for the Rider brothers to grab and place into the cage.

"Damien Triad," Bob said. "I can't believe that you would employ your services to Megabyte after what you did to Paige. Haven't you hurt me enough?"

"Not yet Bob," Triad answered. "Not yet. But say hello to Paige for me when you see her in deletion. Drop him."

He was dropped into the cage, howling all the way, but Matrix was there to catch him.

Megabyte hovered over the cage in his throne, laughing as all of them were trapped.

And they all looked on with impendent doom.

* * *

><p><em>Review, pretty please!<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_**Supercomputer**_

Maximillion Dyson was nearly finished with the complete restoration and upgrading of his daughter Paige. The two sisters, keytool and sprite were joined, but Dixon was not yet activated.

One of his one-binomes came and showed him the Vidscreen.

"Remove the sleeves," Dyson told him. "Change the zipper style to a loop. You there," he called to the binomes restoring and upgrading Paige's surfboard. "Inscribe the name with a script hand. Use the navy color on the topside with Dyson written on the underside in black. They're her favorite colors."

Turbo entered the work infirmary.

"Mouse and Ray have returned, but I have not told them what you have done to…" the Prime Guardian said. "Is that…?"

"The one and only," he replied. "With a few modifications for male sprite interest: longer hair, bigger…well you get the idea. She's the ultimate guardian / surfer hybrid in one."

"Turbo," Mouse shouted as she entered the lab as well. "We have a problem. Mainframe has been…Ohmigod. Is that sugah?"

Ray was beside her with the code disc. "What a woman," he said.

"New and improved," Turbo said. "I don't believe that you have met Maximillion Dyson, Paige and Dixon's father."

"A pleasure," Dyson replied and looked to the uniform screen again. "Much better." He took the screen and spoke to his staff member. "Dixon," he called, "activate and merge coding."

The keytool came to life and exchanged code with her twin sister. She sent her powers through Paige's body, completing all the upgrades and bringing her vital signs back to normal.

"Take this uniform program and download Dixon," he declared to the keytool and plugged in the Vidscreen.

Dixon took the uniform and clothed her sister in it. The black pants that flared to her ankles that connected to the vest; unzipped down toward her chest line covered her body. Orange shoulder pads almost similar to a guardians were there as a silver, bone tile necklace held her icon of Guardian at the base of her neck.

Paige was back online.

Dixon gave her one final jolt of energy and her teal eyes opened with a start.

"Upgrade and activation complete," Dyson said as Paige slowly sat up from the table and looked to herself and her new uniform. "How are you feeling princess?"

Paige was pulling at her uniform, checking her skin, and felt the icon around her neck. Her eyes stared at him for a second before she plopped down to the floor. "You did this to me?" she asked.

"For you," he replied, "and for Dixon." He indicated to the keytool on her wrist.

"Dixon," Paige said staring at her keytool. "Is it you?"

The keytool made warbles and spins to speak to her. Paige smiled and didn't know if she ever would. "We are now one," she said.

"And you're needed in Mainframe," Turbo said.

"Then go, Guardian X-01," her father said her ID code. "Show that virus who is the greatest power of them all."

Paige ran up, embraced her father tightly, and then grabbed her restored surfboard on the other table before racing out with Mouse and Ray at her sides.

"She'll be OK," Turbo assured him.

"I'm not worried about Paige," Maximillion replied. "I'm more concerned for Megabyte now."

* * *

><p>Paige tossed her board ahead of her as did Ray, but as he climbed on; she leapt onto the board and took off for the skies of the Supercomputer.<p>

"**Releasing tear energy**," the voice of the Supercomputer announced to the traffic.

The tear appeared in the skies for them to use.

"I got it," Ray said.

"Allow me," Paige interrupted. "Dixon: portal to the Net."

Dixon fired the bolt and the portal suddenly appeared.

"Show off," Ray replied.

"Rookie," she snickered back. "Let's get running."

The three of them vanished into the portal and into the Net.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Net<strong>_

The Knight Surfers raced as fast as they could through the Net on their journey to Mainframe to aid Dot Matrix and the system.

"You know that when we get there, Megabyte is going to be waiting for us lover?" Lana Vesper stated the obvious.

"We have to at least try," Blade replied. "We have to figure out what Megabyte has to do with Shadow Riders, but once we get our hands on them, I'm going to erase them byte by byte until we find out what happened to Paige."

"Looking for me?" a voice said as she came up behind them.

They were in amazement at their boss Paige's new look.

"Paige? Is that really you?" Stara Crichton asked.

"It's me kids," she replied. "Going my way?"

"We're approaching Mainframe, boss," Grendar told everyone.

"Opening portal," Paige said and fired Dixon in the direction of a tear to Mainframe. "Hang on everyone," she whispered and released the bolt.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Mainframe<strong>_

The Mainframers were trapped inside the prison cube of Megabyte's creation as Megabyte himself was speaking with the Shadow Riders.

"You have what you want Megabyte," Damien Triad said to him. "Now it's time for you to pay your end of the bargain, our money."

"Yes surfer, yes," he replied, checking over his long talons. "You will find that all your currency has been deposited into your bank account; all twenty-five hundred of it for services rendered."

Damien nodded to Crix who accessed their personal account on the computer. "You'll understand about me being cautious. You are a virus after all."

"Where is the trust Triad?" Megabyte asked. "You completed your task and supposedly deleted the rogue Paige Dyson after her twin sister nearly deleted me. I couldn't be more pleased with your services."

"It's there," Crix told him. "Let's get out of here Damien. We have more interested clients out there."

"That's right," his brother Crayis replied. "Let's get gone."

"Now now," Megabyte said as the surfers were about to leave. "That money may have representation of being there, but I can easily withdraw it back to me. I have employed your services for the next megacycle."

"What?" Helicon replied. "You can't do that."

"But I already have," the virus replied. "Did you really think that you wouldn't come to Mainframe seeking your payment? I planned it and you came through with perfect precision. Now you will become my own surfing force to wreak the havoc that I will instill upon Mainframe. Prepare to join the new viral dawn, Shadow Riders." He pressed a button on the throne sled.

From a satellite dish blaster nearby, the Shadow Riders were all struck by the dark colored beams that crisscrossed around them.

All of the bounty hunters screamed and howled as they were reprogrammed to serve Megabyte.

* * *

><p>Bob and Matrix watched as the Shadow Riders were betrayed by Megabyte and turned into viral surfers. The pain they were going through had to be intense.<p>

"This is bad," Bob said.

"This is very bad," Matrix added.

The riders were fully engulfed by the viral transformation and stood up once it was over. Their eyes were all changed into bright green glowing spheres as their skins were lightened to show the infection.

Megabyte was laughing sadistically at the completion of his plan. "I have the only hope of Mainframe as well as my own viral surfer force," he told his prisoners. "Finally, I will triumph where I have failed before."

Suddenly a portal opened over his head; glowing with intensity around the rims.

"What?" he shouted.

The viral binomes fired toward the portal and the approaching wave of surfers.

From the Net, the Knight Surfers entered his palace and stood firm. The regular web surfer Ray Tracer, with Mouse on his surfboard, was with them as well.

"What? We heard there was a surfer party," the purple surfer / hacker girl said to him.

"And we were crushed when we didn't get an invitation," the Bob looking surfer replied.

"Must have gotten lost in the spam mail," the AndrAIa reflection surfer also added in.

"You think that you are going to defeat me again Knight Surfers," Megabyte told them, indicating to the Shadow Riders that were now aligned with him. "I think not. Shadow Virals, delete them."

The Shadow Riders charged up towards the Surfers and they split off to take each one of each other personally.

Megabyte sneered and laughed. "All too easy."

"Aren't you forgetting about someone?" a voice called out to him.

He knew that voice and turned around to look to the portal that wasn't closed yet. Someone was about to charge from the bubble into his Tor.

From the portal that vanished once she was through, the black cloaked female with her pink hair long and loose floated above his head.

* * *

><p>Everyone in the cage was in amazement to see that Paige was alright and in trim fighting form from the last time any of them had seen her.<p>

"Yeah Paige!" Enzo shouted. "She's back."

"I don't believe it," Dot replied to her little brother's statement.

"She looks amazing," Matrix said.

Bob was speechless as his hands touched the cage's smooth surface.

* * *

><p>"It's not possible," Megabyte said. "You were offline. I could feel that you were deleted."<p>

Paige Dyson stepped off the edge of her surfboard and landed perfectly on her thick boots. "See, you had to be there to see it," she said. "I just sat up on the table, had some new clothes, and to top it all off, I wanted you to meet an old friend."

She brought her keytool to her chest for Megabyte to see. "I believe you two have met before…Dixon Green."

Megabyte remembered Paige's identical twin program Dixon Green. She had been the one who had captured him and was about to delete him if he hadn't done it to her first.

Now she was in the keytool around her wrist.

"I destroyed Guardian Dixon once," he said, "and I shall do so again, but I want to delete you personally first."

"Well," she said, arms extended at her sides, "I'm here. Come and get some."

Megabyte charged at her with fists and talons extended, but the surfer moved to the sides without moving her feet to avoid his hits on her.

"Oh please," Paige was jeering at him. "What's a matter with you? Can't you hit me?"

He plunged a fist toward her chest, but she grabbed it with her bare hand. She brought it before her and held it at eye-level. "Too slow, loser," she replied.

Megabyte tried to pry his fist loose from her grip, but couldn't. It was as if a null had it and wouldn't release him until his energy was gone. He tried viral copying her, but his hand was met with a discharge back to him.

"Now, you see Dixon would just erase and end your torture," Paige was saying. "She was always quick to action, never any fun. Me? I like fun, but in your case, I think I will make an exception. Dix, scrambler beam."

The beam from Dixon struck Megabyte with furious intensity.

* * *

><p>Lana Vesper caught up with a fleeing Crix Garneau, channeled her surfer power, and deleted the viral surfer. Her fiancé Blade was quick to join her as he passed through the shredded codes.<p>

They were joined by the other members of their team, Stara and Grendar and were watching as Paige was deleting Megabyte right before their eyes.

"Ooh," Stara said, "that has got to hurt."

"I bet," Blade said, pulling Lana close to him as they watched.

* * *

><p>Bob Serrano and his compatriots were watching as Megabyte was being executed in front of the cage. Paige was unmoving as her keytool was scrambling Megabyte's codes.<p>

Was it really going to end now at the hands of one girl?

"Come on sugahs," Mouse said as she arrived at the cage. She sliced one of the sides with her katana, short-circuiting the cage and shattering. "Let's get going."

Megabyte was almost completely decompiled when Paige released the scrambler's hold on him.

"Dix, cease," she ordered and the glowing red beam vanished.

The virus fell to his knees and finally to his side in the agonizing pain that he was in. He cringed as Paige smashed her foot onto his shoulder and arm.

"This is your first and only warning Megabyte," Paige said bent over so he would hear her. "Come after anyone of these people again and I promise you, I won't stop Dixon from erasing you next time. My advice to you: get out of Mainframe while you still have legs."

She stood back up and kicked him in his abdomen before walking away.

Dixon was speaking to her as she walked toward the Mainframe citizens and her surfer friends.

"It was just a warning," Paige replied as she walked. "He's not going to leave Mainframe."

The keytool spoke again.

"Don't worry girl. You're going to have your fun dismantling his code so savor the time to upgrade your powers in the meantime."

She whistled as Paige arrived at the group. "Riders?" she asked.

"All deleted," Stara replied.

"Everyone OK?" she asked the Mainframers.

"One sprang ankle," Bob answered her question, "but we're OK otherwise." He was about to speak to her about how glad he was she was recovered, when he was interrupted.

"That was so cool Ms. Dyson," Enzo was saying. "Should I call you that? That move where you swooped in, so awesome. Moving from side to side to avoid Megabreath's attacks, alphanumeric."

"Enzo!" a lot of them said.

"It's OK," Paige said. "I find it flattering. Want to get out of here and go for a ride Enzo?"

"Alphanumeric!" he shouted.

Paige stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled for her board to come down to her. She stepped on and helped Enzo to stand on it. "One foot forward, arms out for balance. Just like riding a zipboard only with more process speed. Here we go."

She zoomed away and Enzo howled with fear and with joy as they glided out of the Tor.

"I think she has a good idea," Mouse suggested. "Let's get out of here Ray."

The surfer and her lover left.

Matrix held onto AndrAIa and used Lana's loaned surfboard to leave. She rode with fiancé Blade out the same way the others had left.

Everyone cleared out the Tor and went to resuming their normal lives.

* * *

><p>Underneath some debris, Damien Triad emerged from into the former battlefield. He had hidden under some wreckage to hide from the Knight Surfers. He would have been deleted if he hadn't and though viral now, his codes were still the same.<p>

"I'm leaving," he said.

Just as he was about to leap onto his surfboard, a hand grabbed him around the leg.

It was Megabyte, the one that had turned him viral; crawling on the ground in agony.

"I think not," Megabyte said to him.

The virus sucked out and copied his coding before there was nothing.

Damien Triad was deleted as Megabyte stole all of the viral codes as well as Triad's surfer codes from his body. The former Shadow Rider broke apart into numbers and vanished.

The virus stood, clutching his abdomen where Paige Dyson had kicked him.

But the surfer was gone now.

"Your threats are nothing to me," he said. "I will regain what you took from me. Then I will take great pride in deleting and scattering your codes across the Web," and the virus laughed in his loneliness.

* * *

><p><em>This cannot be good if he has just absorbed Damien Triad. Read and review!<em>


	5. Chapter 5

**Principle Office**

Mainframe was returning to normal status again.

Phong was using a scanner to analyze Paige Dyson's programming as she sat on the computer console. He was intrigued as to the structure of their new hero.

"What is she Phong?" Dot asked.

"Her programming is amazing," the old binome replied. "It has been accelerated beyond known parameters and charged with energy that resembles the Core of Mainframe itself."

"It is like I was saying," Paige said as she sprung off the console. "I am a guardian surfer hybrid in one gorgeous package."

The Knight Surfers were looking at her.

"I don't know boss," Stara Crichton said. "Forced into being Guardians was why we caused all that chaos in the first place and then when we forced to be Surfers, we broke out of prison. Now we have to be both."

"Against our wills," Blade added.

"Not against your wills," Paige told them. "You saw me out there. The powers that you could have if convert to this new programming. My father saved my circuits and he can advance your abilities beyond anything you know."

"I can't decide which the worse of two evils is," Grendar replied. "To be a guardian _and a_ surfer; I cannot fathom."

The VidWindow opened and there appeared Prime Guardian Turbo to speak to all there. Paige stood in attention with her arms behind her back. "Ah Guardian X-01, just who I was searching for," he said. "Status of Mainframe."

"All hostages rescued," she replied. "Megabyte was given a stern advisory to leave, but I have serious doubt that he will, Prime Guardian sir."

"At ease Dyson," he told her. "Your father wishes to speak with you."

Her father appeared on a separate VidWindow beside him. "Ah, my darling Paige," Maximillion said to her. "How did your new programming work?"

"Very efficiently," she answered. "I have no doubt that Dixon and I will be able to purge the Net of Megabyte…when the time comes however."

"There is a time and place for everything," her father answered. "I'm returning to the Comorian Supercomputer to continue my business. If your friends wish to be upgraded as you have been, they are welcomed to come there."

"We need time to think about it Master Dyson," Blade spoke from behind Paige. "Not that the offer isn't a good one, but we never wanted to be Guardians or search engines. That was why we caused all those problems."

"You certainly were quite a handful," Turbo was chuckling on his screen.

"Think it over Master Blade," Dyson told them. "I have no doubt that I will be seeing you soon. Paige, Turbo will be downloading your system assignments."

"Assignments," she said. "Plural?"

"Your programming allows you to keep track of multiple systems at the same time," her father told her. "As a test trial, we will be exploring the possibly of _one_ guardian keeping track of _three_ systems. Take care, my princess." The VidWindow closed.

Paige stared at the screen where her uncle was. "Give 'em to me," she said. "Sir."

Paige and the Knight Surfers glided into the heavens above Mainframe. The portal to the Net had already been opened and it was time to split up.

"You have to go to Spectral City?" Lana said. "The sprites and the Spectrals have never gotten along in their entire online existence. What makes Turbo think you can provide assistance there?"

"It's a part of my test programming," Paige told them. "They have to see how much I can do and how far I can stretch my limits. It's the only way. Besides, I have two other systems that are quiet beyond dial-up standards. They'll be an accurate balance from the Spectrals. Trust me."

They were ready to pass through.

"Are you sure you need time to think about it?" Paige asked. "It's what we have been searching for all this time."

"We'll get back to you," Blade said. "We're going to go search for another job and then go back to base. Once we have an answer, we'll call."

The girls all shared a group embrace of sadness, but yet knew they would be back together soon.

Grendar came and lifted her off her surfboard with his powerful hug.

Blade and Paige stared at each other for a few micro-nanos and then shook hands.

"I'll be seeing you," she said.

"Don't count your pixels before they've struck," Blade answered.

The Knight Surfers parted and entered the Net, soon vanishing from sight as the portal returned to tear status.

Paige took the same tear and created a portal with Dixon's help. "Dix, portal to Spectral City." It became the portal and she entered inside.

* * *

><p>On the ground, Bob watched Paige enter her portal and leave. She hadn't even said good-bye to anyone that she had just rescued. She didn't even say good-bye to him.<p>

Her duties were important to her, but her whole demeanor around them changed with her new powers.

What was in store for them with a guardian – surfer hybrid in their mist?

* * *

><p><em>Hope you enjoyed this one. Please remember to read and review!<em>


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